Clothes-line



(No Model.) Q

0. B. ALBERT.

CLOTHES LINE;

No. 457,335. Patented Aug. 11, 1891.

4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CLAY B. ALBERT, OF 'CARROLLTON, MISSOURI.

CLOTHES-LINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,335, dated August11, 1891.

Application filed December 9, 1890.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, CLAY B. ALBERT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Carrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Clothes-Lin e, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to that class of clothes-driers constructed torun a line of clothes from the point of applying the clothes out intothe open air or into the sun.

The objects in view are to improve the gen- 'eral arrangement of suchdriers and to simplify, cheapen, and render them more efficient inoperation.

VV'ith these objects in view the invention resides in the various novelfeatures of construction and combination of parts, hereinafter fullydescribed, and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the drawings, in which I have illustrated my invention,and in whichlike letters of reference indicate corresponding parts, Figure 1 is aperspective view of my clothes-drier. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of thedevice, the housing and post being in section. Fig. 3 is a view showingin detail the pulley (J and pulley-casmg. i

In the drawings, A designates a housing or casing, which may be attachedto standards, the side of a house, a wall, or any other convenientplace. Within this housing are located devices which will presently bedescribed.

B indicates a post or any other suitable object, to which isfastened, ashereinafter set forth, a pulley 0.

Within the housing A are drums D and E, which have upon theircorresponding ends the cog-wheels (Z and e, and at each of their endsare provided with journals d and e, whichare suitably journaled in thesides in the housing A. One of the journals in the illustratiomd,projects outside of the casing and is provided with a crank-handle (1 Fdesignates a traveling cross-head having the bracket f, supporting thetraveling pulley or trolley f.

The pulley O is supported by means of the embracing-arms c, which extendoutward from the head 0. This head has two rearwardly-projecting arms 0which extend into holes in the post or other place of attachment,

Serial No- 374,078. (No model.)

be allowed to move forward or caused to move backward against the post,and thus regulate the tension of the lines, which will now be described.1

A supporting line, wire, or cable G has one end attached to the drum E,and passing about said drum is carried outward over the pulley C, thenbackward, and attached to the cross-head F. A line or a series of lines(indicated by the letter H) have their inner ends attached to the drumD, and extending outwardly have their outer ends attached to thecross-head F. It is to be observed that the trolley f travels 011 and issupported by the cable G. By this construction it will be seen that,supposing that at any time the lines H are wound upon the drum D and thecrosshead F close up against said drum within the housing, by turningthe crank-handle d in the direction opposite to that taken by the handsof the clock the same cross-head will be caused to travel outwardly fromthe housing toward the pulley O; or the reverse will be true if thecross-head being out somewhere upon the line Gr toward the pulley O, thecrank-handle d is moved in a direction corresponding to that taken bythe hands of a clock. It will thus be seen that as one line or set oflines is allowed to unwind the other will be wound upon the other drumand that by this means the cross-head will maintain any position givenit, no matter what the weight of the clothes hung upon thelines which itsupports may be, for everything that tends to unwind the lines H fromthe drum D will also tend to wind the line G upon the drum E. Thenecessity of pawl-andratchet mechanism upon the ends of the drum is thusobviated.

When from climatic conditions or from the weight of the clothes the lineG has become stretched, so thatit does not properly support the lines Hand the cross-head F, the said line G may be tightened by means of thethumb-nut c on the threaded shank 0 which extends rearwardly from thehead 0'.

It will be understood that my improved clothes-drier may be placed inany proper or convenient position. The casing A may be under a porch orshed and close to the house and the pulley O at the end of the yard, orthe entire device may be put up within the house itself in order to dryclothes in damp weather.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

In a clothes-drier, the combination, with the casing A, having journaledWithin it the drumsD and E, Which are geared directly to each other, ofthe clothes-line H, having one end fastened to the drum D and the otherend attached to the traveling cross-block F of the supporting-line G,having one end secured to the drum E, passed'over the pulley O, which isadjustable in relation to its support B, and brought back and attachedto the traveling cross-block F, the said cross-block F being providedwith a trolley f, and a support f therefor, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in presence of two witnesses.

CLAY B. ALBERT.

Witnesses:

R. ELAM, SIDNEY MILLER.

